Jairam Thakur will be new Himachal CM  

Five-time legislator Jairam Thakur will be the 13th Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, it was announced on Sunday.

A decision in this regard was unanimously taken at the BJP Legislative Party meeting where central observers -- Union Ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and Narendra Singh Tomar were also present along with Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda and state party in-charge Mangal Pandey.

"Jairam Thakur will be the BJP legislature party leader in Himachal Pradesh," Tomar told reporters after the meeting

The legislators' decision came a day after Prem Kumar Dhumal -- whom the BJP had named as its prospective Chief Minister 10 days before the elections - pulled out of the race. The 73-year-old had lost the election to his Congress opponent and one-time protege Rajendra Rana, even though his party won 44 of the state's 68 seats. But he remained in the race as several loyal lawmakers offered him their fresh-won seats.

It was Mr Dhumal who proposed the name of Jairam Thakur to be elected as the Legislature party leader, said said Tomar, adding "Shanta Kumar-ji and JP Nadda ji also supported this proposal".

"We will deliver the promises made and will work round the clock to ensure progress and development of Himachal Pradesh," said Thakur, who has been seen as a Chief Minister-in-waiting for a long time.

The 52-year-old had earlier been the party's state unit chief and a minister in a government headed by Dhumal. During the counting of votes on Monday afternoon, as the trends showed Dhumal was heading for defeat, he was the first off the block to take a flight to Delhi to meet the party's central leadership.

But he was not the only contender for the state's top job.

The buzz was that Union Health Minister JP Nadda, seen as an able organizer and a keen strategist who also has the ear of party chief Amit Shah, was also in the running. A member from the state's Bilaspur parliamentary seat, Mr Nadda had moved out of the state unit to join the BJP in Delhi as its secretary after he fell out with Mr Dhumal.

Sources said today, the lawmakers decided at their meeting that the job should go to one of their own.

Mr Thakur's supporters, however, said Amit Shah did announce at a public meeting on 1 November that the leader will be given a prominent role once BJP assumes power.

Considered a popular Thakur face, the lawmaker from Seraj constituency served as the BJP's state chief between 2006 and 2009 and was credited with striking a balance between the warring factions.

with inputs from IANS